For some reason, fighting games seem to be in short
supply on the Gamecube.
Currently, you're only choices are Super Smash Bros. Melee, Bloody
Roar: Primal
Fury, Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee and the recent Mortal Kombat
V. The
PS2 doesn't have this problem, since there's many more to choose from.
But there
was another GCN fighting contender released back in October 2002.
Capcom Vs.
SNK 2 EO is a part of the long-running series of Company vs. Company
games
released by Capcom, but with a couple new elements that is exclusive to
the GCN,
which may or may not be a good thing.

Capcom Vs. SNK 2 EO (or Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Mark Of The
Millennium as it says on the
title screen) really has no formidable story or plot line behind it.
Unlike other
fighters such as the Tekken or the later parts of the Mortal Kombat
series,
Capcom Vs. SNK favors ass-kicking without a point for a story that may
motivate
you to go on. But it does have a certain charm. It's old-school
game play and
old-school characters that will appeal to those who enjoy classic
fighting games
of the mid-90's. Even the game's look is old-school, with 2-D
characters, just
like the 90's. Capcom Vs. SNK does feel like it was ripped from the
arcades,
but at what price?

There's a big difference when a fighting game is in the
arcade, and when it then
gets ported to a console. Mainly, it's the controls. Arcade fighters
such as
this thrive on skill of the stick and button mashing to execute special
moves
and combos. But when it comes home, some of that frantic pace
dissipates, unless
you own an expensive arcade controller (and I have no idea if the GCN
has an
arcade stick), but some controllers can still deliver the fighting
experience.
The PS2 is a perfect example of this, with accesable buttons and a easy
to use
D-pad. Unfortunately, the Gamecube's controller was NOT designed for
fighting
games of this nature. Maybe for some fighters, but in Capcom Vs. SNK 2
EO, the
way too small D-Pad and the arranged button configuration is way too
confusing
to execute combos and moves properly. But Capcom came up with an
interesting
solution. They created a scheme called the GC-ism, which lets you use
your
C-stick to perform special moves. Depending on where you point it, you
can
access a special move or a super move. This is good for people like me
who
hate to bother with complicated move schemes and blisters from the
D-pad, and
allow to create easier combos with the special moves. You can still
punch and
kick using the L and R buttons, and get stronger the more you depress
it, but
sometimes you may wonder why you need to use these moves anyway. The
face
buttons (A, B, etc.) are used to evade and to access the power-up
charge from
the N-Groove. But using the GC-ism does have it's concenquences. For
one,
you really can't block. You can perform a counter-move, but blocking
isn't easy,
and I never really seen it happen. Second, it does become a little
one-sided at
times. You may feel like you can breeze through some opponents without
much
skill. But, you still can lose fights. The GC-ism doesn't play the game
for you,
but it really just simplifies the moves. And this may not appeal to
hard-core
fighting game fans. If you want to show off your skills by executing a
really
tough move, the scheme and even the game may not be for you. The
controller is
mapped out in such a way that it could turn off gamers. But for those
who are
looking for a simpler angle to fighting games, especially casual
gamers, the
Capcom Vs. SNK 2 EO may be up your alley.

Now, let's get into the grooves. There are six of them
to choose from, and they
are all pretty different. You find the groove to match your style. One
groove
will enable you to execute super moves that deal out more damage the
stronger
they get. Another will allow you to execute as many super moves as you
want when
you have 1/4 of your health left. It depends on what your strategy is,
and it
does liven things up a bit. It's a good way to screw with an opponent
who has
never played this game before, and get them stuck with a grove that
they don't
know what to do with.

The graphics are a matter of taste. All the characters
are in 2-D, while the
backgrounds are in 3-D. It does look a bit strange at first, but it
doesn't hurt
much. As for the characters, theres a bit of harsh edges on some of
them, and
the art style seems to change with a few characters. You can really
tell which
ones are from Capcom and which ones are from SNK. At least the
frame rate never
lags, and provides a fast moving fighting experience. But why do some
of the
special effects look pixelated?

The sound, well, it's there. Not superb, but not awful.
There's not too much to
take in since this was in an arcade, and arcade games sounds are
usually drowned
out by other games. The voices are all in Japanese, which is nice for
a touch
of ethnic flavor. But then there's that announcer, who is Japanese,
but speaks
English. This sounds very ... odd. Let's just write the sound off as
average.

Capcom Vs. SNK 2 EO does fill in the near-absent
fighting genre on the Gamecube,
and it is some pretty good fun for those who want a simpler fighting
experience.
But the controller was not meant for this game, and for those who enjoy
executing the combos the way they should be (like a half circle on the
pad
followed by a few buttons), this may be a pass. Until there is a
controller
that is a little more friendlier to these types of games (and the Mad
Catz
Cubicon does have a large D-Pad), this is a game reserved to a select
few.
But I did enjoy this game, and my opinion does glare over the
shortcomings.
As long as you have a good time, who cares about some of these things,
right?
Hopefully in the future, there will be bigger and better fighters (Soul
Caliber
2 is one) for the GCN, but for now, take what you can get.

Published
By :CAPCOM

Developed
By: PLAYMORE

Year Published :
2002

Players :
1-2

ESRB Rating:
TEEN [13+]

OVERALL
SCORE7.4

VISUALS

7.3

AUDIO

7.5

GAMEPLAY

7.7

REPLAY
VALUE

6.8

INNOVATION

6.7

It gets the job done, but there's not enough options to keep this one
going longer.

I'll
find something better eventually...

Guilty
Gear X2 #Reload

Soul Calibur 2

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance

2003-2006 SPM
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